These are just some of the fantastic views of the 62-acre town of Johnsonville, Connecticut, which was once a thriving mill community, a Victorian Era tourist attraction, that had been abandoned for years. The beautiful abandoned old town was featured in an episode of the National Geographic TV series “Abandoned.” It was put up for sale at an online auction on October 28, 2014. The Iglesia Ni Cristo is now the new owner of […]
Life
What makes a dog man’s best friend? It’s in the genes
by Kerry Sheridan Agence France-Presse MIAMI, United States (AFP) – Dogs that are extra friendly share certain genetic similarities with people who are born with a developmental disorder sometimes called the “opposite of autism,” which makes them hyper social, researchers said Wednesday. The report in the journal Science Advances pinpointed changes in two genes that are related to extreme social behavior in dogs, and also in people who are born with Williams-Beuren Syndrome. People with this […]
Want to escape Sao Paulo’s traffic? Take a flying taxi
by Paula RAMON Agence France-Presse SAO PAOLO, Brazil (AFP) — While Uber has changed ground transport in many cities, Sao Paulo’s infernal traffic jams have sparked a new app that opens the sky to commuters: Voom, a helicopter taxi service that charges according to distance and the passenger’s weight. It’s a godsend for those in a rush — but only if the weather permits. Gustavo Boyde, a Brazilian living in the United States who goes […]
World’s first child hand transplant a ‘success’
WASHINGTON DC, United States (AFP) – The first child in the world to undergo a double hand transplant is now able to write, feed and dress himself, doctors said Tuesday, declaring the ground-breaking operation a success after 18 months. The report in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health provides the first official medical update on 10-year old Zion Harvey, who underwent surgery to replace both hands in July 2015. “Eighteen months after the surgery, the […]
Microsoft cloud to help Baidu self-driving car effort
SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) – Microsoft’s cloud computing platform will be used outside China for collaboration by members of a self-driving car alliance formed by Chinese internet search giant Baidu, the companies announced on Tuesday. The US software giant is one of more than 50 entities that have joined an Apollo alliance created by Baidu in April. Microsoft will enable alliance members to collaborate, share information and tap into the analytic power of Azure […]
Japanese engineers develop headset-less VR system
A virtual reality “space ride” in which viewers feel as if they are flying through the air inside a giant glass ball has been developed in Japan. (AFP Video) https://youtu.be/5SLty9acjMA
World’s northernmost coral reef in Japan bleached
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Bleaching has damaged the world’s northernmost coral reef in Japan, a researcher said Tuesday, the latest example of a global phenomenon scientists have attributed to high ocean temperatures. Healthy coral reefs protect shores from storms and offer habitats for fish and other marine life, including ecologically and economically important species. After coral dies, reefs quickly degrade and the structures that coral build erode. While coral can recover from mild bleaching, severe […]
Size key to top speed in animals: study
by Marlowe Hood Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — It’s not quite E=mc2, but scientists unveiled Monday a simple, powerful formula that explains why some animals run, fly and swim faster than all others. Call it the “speed rule”: strength alone does not determine top velocity because land mammals, birds and fish can only accelerate for as long as they can draw from available energy stored in muscle tissue. An intermediate body size — […]
Michael Dell takes long view with ‘Dell 2.0’
ASPEN, United States (AFP) — His first company became the world’s largest maker of personal computers. Now Michael Dell says he is building a broader technology firm with similar ambitions. Dell Technologies is the result of the private buyout of the original Dell computer firm, bolstered by the massive $67 billion deal for computer storage firm EMC and other software and services acquisitions. Interviewed at the Fortune Brainstorm Tech conference Monday in Aspen, Colorado, Dell […]
Ghanaian teen builds video search engine to rival YouTube
ACCRA, Ghana (Reuters) — Ghanaian university student Gabriel Opare wanted to build a search engine that could challenge the dominance of YouTube. The 19-year-old taught himself how to code by taking online courses in his free time. He is currently a full-time student of Sociology at the University of Ghana, in Accra. In his quest to rival Google – the world’s most popular search engine, Opare developed Mudclo – a free search engine for videos. […]
Promising immunotherapy helps adults with leukemia
MIAMI, United States (AFP) — A cancer treatment that genetically alters immune cells has shown success in 71 percent of adults with the most common form of leukemia, and for whom other medicines had failed, United States researchers said Monday. The treatment, known as experimental chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell immunotherapy, has made headlines in recent years, particularly after it helped beat back pediatric leukemia in the first US child to undergo the treatment. The […]
Wheelchair prototype lets users ‘lean in’ to turn
LONDON, United Kingdom (Reuters) — A new wheelchair system that allows paraplegics to maneuver by using their upper body movement rather than through breaking and pushing has been designed by a student. Swiss design graduate Reto Togni showed off his Reagiro wheelchair at the Royal College of Art (RCA) graduate exhibition in London in June. Togni told Reuters: “Conventional wheelchairs work the same way as shopping carts, with casters that rotate in every direction. With […]





